ReBoot v0500
by Lady Daemon
Summary: This is the fifth season of ReBoot, as spawned by my imagination. Enjoy! Please R
1. Author's Note

**Author's Note: **This is the first "ReBoot" fic that I've ever actually finished, so I hope you enjoy it. Oh, and I'd like to give a shout-out to Vixen11. I told you I would! Hope this is to your liking Vix!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own "ReBoot"; it is property of Mainframe Entertainment.

Now, on with "ReBoot: v.05.00"!!


	2. v0501

v.05.01 - The Hunt Begins

"Any luck, Mouse?" AndrAIa asked nervously as the hacker poked at the keypad.

"Sorry Sugar, looks like we're stuck." Mouse signed as she stepped away from the door. AndrAIa spoke reluctantly.

"So that means..."

"We're not gettin' out of here the easy way," the purple sprite responded, watching as her friend bit her lower lip.

"I was afraid you'd say that."

----------

"Any ideas on how to get out of here, Matrix?" Bob said, looking around the space.

"Just one." Matrix swiftly lifted Gun and aimed at one of the doors.

"Matrix, no!" The guardian grabbed the green sprite's arm and brought the aim or Gun's barrel to the floor. "We'd like to keep everything in one piece, if possible."

"Bob, this isn't just a few little punks who think they can mess up Mainframe - this is Megabyte. I'm not going to let him destroy my home again." The renegade spat, crossing his arms.

"Look, just relax...we'll figure out something." Glitch began whirring and clicking from Bob's wrist. "Hey...that's not a bad idea. I don't know if Turbo will agree, but it's worth a shot. Matrix, don't blow anything up while I'm gone!" Before Matrix could say or ask anything, Glitch had made a portal and Bob was gone.

----------

Dot let out a heavy sigh. What was she going to do? Everything was going wrong. How could this be happening? She could hear Hack and Slash jabbering in the background, but had tuned them out. She needed to think. She ran a hand over her face and sighed again. There was nothing she could do; nothing. The thought stung her as she reluctantly put her back to one of the walls, slid to the floor, and put her head on her knees. She hated being helpless. Rather, she feared it, though she'd never admit it to anyone else. She choked back tears.

"Oh, User..." She mumbled to herself feebly, praying that everything would be alright.

----------

Megabyte spread his hands out on the control panel before him.

"I think, perhaps, we should have a little fun with them." The virus stated smoothly as he watched his captors on the screen before him, a venomous grin growing on his face.

"No!" Enzo screamed, wriggling free of the nullbot that held him. Charging at Megabyte at top speed, he leapt into the air to tackle him, but was caught around the throat.

"You, Boy, seem to have illusions of grandeur. It makes you quite the nuisance." The metallic giant hailed two virals. "Put him somewhere, and see that he knows what's good for him if he wants to survive." He ordered firmly, dropping the small sprite to the floor. "He is in your charge. Now get him out of my sight...before I change my mind." He idly examined his claws and turned to the nullbot. "As for you, Mr. Matrix..."

----------

"Here, jam that in the door, and we'll pry it open." Mouse suggested, motioning to AndrAIa's trident.

"I don't think that will work, Mouse." The gamesprite admitted. "I think it would break."

"No, let's try it..." One of the doors in front of them opened, but there was no sign of anyone there. "Do you think that someone's gotten to Megabyte, Sugar?"

"Maybe, but I don't know if we should -"

"Come on!" Mouse grabbed her blue-haired friend and began running.

Doors were opening up left, right, and center. It was baffling. As they ran, AndrAIa kept her ears tuned for trouble, and caught a hint of marching feet...the occasional wisp of words. Virals were nearby.

"Mouse...slow down for a nano. I think we're being followed." Their footsteps came to a slow and AndrAIa's concentration peaked. Her expression transformed from pensive to concerned. "We're trapped."

"What? No, I'm sure we can fight our way out..." The confidence in the hacker's voice wavered.

"I mean, how many could there be?"

"I don't know..." The gamesprite said slowly. "But we're surrounded. No matter where we go, we're in for a fight."

----------

Dot leapt to her feet as the doors flew open and shut. She heard Matrix coming - she knew his footfall like the back of her hand.

"Dot?" His voice echoed.

"Matrix, I'm he-" The door slammed shut in front of her. "Crash it!" She yelled.

"Dot, watch out!" Slash blurted. The turned to find herself facing the nullbot that had been captured by Megabyte.

"Dad? Are you o-" The machine reached for her throat, but she caught the hand before it made contact. This was not the Welman Matrix she knew.

"Hey, you do not mess with our friends!" Hack yelled.

"Yeah, or we...mess with you?" Slash glanced at Hack.

"Right, we mess with you!" The two bots pulled out everything they could - extra arms, weapons, anything in their possession - and a fight commenced. It was a short-lived conflict, however. The infected Welman grabbed each bot from behind, cupping his mechanical hands over their heads, and in a seeming effortless motion, he crushed the two of them. He had crumpled their steel skulls like they were tin. He could return his focus to the sprite.

Dot was a step ahead of him, though. As he turned to attack her, she leapt into the air and kicked him to the ground. She didn't know how to defeat him, but until one of the doors opened again, she could fend them off.

With each hit, she prayed harder for one of the doors to open. Her steps faltered, and she was caught. The nullbot again sought to take a tight grip on her throat, and slammed her into a wall. The clawed at her opponent's hand. She couldn't let her own father delete her...especially when he had no control over himself to stop. She heard the doors again...more than one had opened.

"Dot!" Matrix had come into the room. Dot's cheeks were flushed...her hands had fallen to her sides. She looked forlornly at her brother as he approached and began struggling with the robotic creature. He couldn't free her. A sprite as strong as Matrix couldn't pry that metal hand away.

The renegade stepped back and brought Gun level with the engine of Welman's mechanical body.

"Gun, Energy Blast!" The shot penetrated the motor of the bot, and smoke began to leak from it. Electricity began to spurt in dashes like the lightning of so many games. Dot was still trapped. The grip had loosened, but the electric currents rushing through her body were consuming her. Matrix kicked the bot away from Dot and caught her convulsing form as it fell. She was wide awake...but weakened to the extent that she couldn't sit up on her own.

"Mmm-Matrix..." Dot murmured to the burly sprite that was holding her in his arms and walking into another hallway. "W-what...what about..." Matrix flinched as he heard a loud popping sound behind him - like something had exploded. He dared to turn just enough to see what the noise had been, and almost dropped his sister when he laid eyes on the sight. The null that had been in the glass helmet had exploded. Dot had seen it too.

"No...no, no, no..." She was trembling, and Matrix tried to hold her closer to his body to stop the shakes. "No!" She shrieked it with a ferocity that the renegade had never heard before. "You deleted him! You deleted our father! Our father!" She screamed and wriggled, falling out of his arms, crawling away from him.

"Dot! No!" In a few strides he was right beside her again, but she pushed him away with every ounce strength she could produce.

"Get away from me, you...you son of a virus!" She was crying and yelling and fighting with surprising strength...doing everything she could to resist him. "How could you? How could you!"

"Dot..." Her words had cut Matrix deeply. "No, Dot, no...don't, don't say that..." He bent down to reach for her, and this time she was starch stiff. The fear was practically emitting from her. "Dot, what is-" He let out a yell as he felt claws slash across his back and he fell to the ground in front of her. He reached for Gun, but sliver tubing had taken hold of his arms, and at the end of one tube, a spike hovered around his throat. For the first time since his return to Mainframe, Matrix was actually afraid of Megabyte. Panic took him and he bellowed at Dot for dear life.

The volume and timbre of his voice bouncing off the walls with such terror pulled the woman from her fearful and grief-induced paralysis, and she threw herself at Megabyte's feet.

"Please...no...Megabyte, don't do this..." The virus' icy gaze fell on her as she looked up at him, pleading for her brother's life.

"Well, he's of no use to me alive, my dear." Megabyte stated silkily, his vicious grin appearing.

"No, no...Megabyte...please..." She fell dumb for a nano, and then reached for her icon. "If...if you let him go..." Matrix was running an incessant argument to his sister - he had wanted her to run, not give in. "I'll...join the viral forces...willingly."

"I'll let him escape, this time, but if I catch him again, I will show no mercy." Megabyte said flatly, and Dot nodded, dropping her icon into his open hand, enduring Matrix expression of sheer grief as he was released. "Go..." She whispered, as the tears streamed down her face and dizziness made her sway when she stood. Reluctantly, the renegade obeyed. Otherwise, all of this would have happened for nothing.

----------

"Get ready, Mouse. They'll be here any nano now." AndrAIa stated, readying herself to fight.

"I can't believe we're even bothering to resist, Sugar. It's not like we're going to win." Mouse replied, drawing her katana.

"Well we have to at least try. We can't just give up." No sooner had the words come out of the gamesprite's mouth when the four doors around them opened simultaneous. At least fifty virals stood at each entrance with their weapons squarely pointed at the girls. AndrAIa cleared her throat.

"Of course, I could be wrong." She gave her friend a weak smile as they both lowered their weapons.

----------

Matrix emerged from the Principal Office in shock. He could feel the energy streaming down his back, but he had to figure things out. Everything was going wrong. Where were Mouse and AndrAIa? What had happened to Bob? How could he have ever left Dot in Megabyte's hands? If anything happened to her, Matrix would never forgive himself. He'd stay out of the P.O. until Bob got back. He knew that couldn't defeat Megabyte alone. Was he being a coward? He had never voluntarily backed out of a fight, but now...

The light was fading, and any binomes foolish enough to be out were heading home. The cycle was coming to a close. Matrix disappeared into the shadows. If the virals were going to cause trouble, he didn't want to be a part of it...he had more important things to worry about.

----------

"How can I help you, Bob?" Turbo asked as he showed Guardian 452 into his office.

"Well, Mainframe is in a bad way right now...Megabyte has - "

"No. Sorry, Bob." Turbo should have known it was coming. " I know what you're going to say, and we don't have guardians to spare right now. Everyone is working around the clockchip to get things back to normal." The Prime Guardian spoke sharply.

"So what? You're just going to let it be destroyed?" Bob pleaded. "You can't do that, Turbo. Mainframe has-"

"Mainframe was an experiment gone wrong." Turbo almost couldn't believe he was feeding this lie to Bob again. "You've been told that before, Bob. I don't like to repeat myself." Bob gawked at him for a moment.

"Experi -Turbo, how can you say that? Mainframe has defeated some of the strongest virii in the Net!" It was easy to see the mix of anger and disappointment as the blue sprite ran his hands over his face.

"But Bob -"

"What about Daemon, Turbo?" His arms flew out from his sides as he gestured to the surroundings. "Would any of this - would we - be here right now if Mainframe, if Hexadecimal, hadn't taken her down? Turbo, the entire Net would be gone now if it weren't for Mainframe."

"I'm sorry, Bob. My hands are tied. Mainframe is at the bottom of the list right now. I'll try, but -"

"I have to go." Bob was taking on a tone of indifference. "We're just wasting time here. Mainframe needs a guardian." With the sole intent of leaving guilt, he added: "I thought things were different now, but I guess I was wrong."

"Well, for what it's worth, I'm sorry." Regret was dripping from the Prime's words as Guardian 452 made a portal and exited the office without a glance back at his Superior. At times like this, Bob was ashamed to be a member of the Collective.

----------

Dot opened her eyes. When had she blacked out? She didn't know she had, although she had been dizzy. Maybe that was it. She looked at her surroundings. She was in her office. She sat up slowly and cleared her head. "Now where did this come from?" She said to herself quietly, running her hand over the black couch she was sitting on. It didn't matter.

"Ah, you're awake." A vidwin popped up in front of her, and she jumped. "My dear Dot, am I really that frightful?"

"Oh, no...I'm sorry. I just woke then. You startled me." She forced a fake smile for him. "What can I do for you, my Lord?" She asked, resisting every urge to vomit at giving him such a title.

"I'll be there in a moment; we'll go over things then."

----------

Mouse was shoved into a small cell with nothing to do but watch as the bars slammed down in front of her face.

"Don't put that one in a regular cell!" One of the virals said to a small group of others as they dragged AndrAIa along. "She'll fire those nails at you!"

"Let me go!" She shrieked, writhing to try and free herself of them.

"Honey, there's just no point." Mouse said defeatedly. "We surrendered; now we have to face the consequences."

The gamesprite finally caved and was pushed into a cell. A weak sigh escaped her as the energy wall was activated. Their fate now rested on the shoulders of the other sprites.

----------

"Ah, my dearest Dot, how are you feeling?" Megabyte asked as he entered the small office and took a seat beside her on the couch.

"Better. Now, what can I help you with?"

"Down to business, as always, I see. Well, there is something we must discuss." He said, turning directly to her.

"Yes?" She was anticipating something big. She didn't know what, but she knew it was coming.

"Well, you'll have a certain level of conflict if I leave you as you are. You see, you work for me, but I work to destroy those whom you love. Therefore, you cannot be entirely loyal to me. That must be fixed." The virus smiled evilly when he saw the expression on Dot's face.

"But, but Megabyte-" She had no words to express how she felt. She had thought that maybe she could work from the inside on a solution to defeating this menace, but now she was in trouble.

"Now, be calm my dear. This will hurt."

----------

Mouse shook her head.

"What do you think is goin' on out there, Sugar?"

"I don't know, Mouse." AndrAIa responded, dying to be free of her prison. If only she had been put in a normal cell.

"Don't worry; things will work out; they always do." The hacker offered a smile. "Matrix and Bob and Dot will come out of this okay - I'm sure of it."

"It's not them I'm worried about. It's Enz-"

The doors to the holding room were opened, and in stumbled a battered Enzo Matrix, led by several viral troops. The child could barely stand. He had been beaten beyond belief. AndrAIa covered her mouth. She was going to cry. Enzo had a cut on his eye, just as Matrix had. It was like being pulled back to that horrible moment when they had lost that game. Mouse gasped and began to label the virals with every obscenity she could produce. Curses flew and tempers flared, but all AndrAIa could do was look on helplessly while Enzo was brought to a cell of his own. The instant she was free, she was going after Megabyte.

----------

"Come on, Bob, where are you?" Matrix asked under his breath. He couldn't wait much longer. He felt like he was going to lose his mind. To be completely useless was such a maddening state.

A portal opened in the sky and Guardian 452 appeared on his zipboard. He had wasted so much time. Hopefully things hadn't gone entirely random while he'd been gone. He spotted Matrix and was on his way down to the renegade when innumerable vidwindows appeared all over the system. Megabyte stood ready to address the public.

"Citizens of Mainframe, as you know, I have taken control over the Principal Office, and, essentially, the entire system. I know that I am not well-received by the general population, but there is one who has deemed me worthy, one whom you all trust."

The virus stepped aside and Dot was revealed - her head lowered and her eyes closed. She wore a metallic blue suit with the viral skull cut out of it. The eyes began at her collar bone with the viral emblem in the place of her normal icon, while the nose rested on her sternum. The mouth ran across her stomach. She raised her head, and her eyelids flickered open, revealing green irises and red pupils. She smiled softly. "All hail Lord Megabyte."

Bob nearly fell from his board.

"This is bad, very bad."


	3. v0502

v.05.02 - When the Tables Turn...

"How?" Bob blurted out as he landed in front of Matrix, whose complexion was dangerously pale.

"Bob, I'm sorry..." The renegade's head was reeling; he'd lost so much energy.

"Matrix, are you okay?" The answer was revealed when the green sprite swayed and fell to the ground, and Bob noticed for the first time the energy stains that tainted the ground. Matrix' back was torn up like nothing he'd ever seen before!

"Oh no..." Bob uttered under his breath, kneeling beside his friend. There wasn't really anything he could do besides get him somewhere where he'd be cared for. He could give him a temporary remedy thanks to Glitch, but if he didn't get medical attention soon, he wouldn't survive.

"Matrix, can you hear me?" A groggy groan was the only response. "Matrix, I'm going to send you to the SuperComputer - they'll care for you there."

"No...." The word took more effort to muster than Matrix even knew he had. "Bob..."

"Well you can't help anyone like this, and you'll do nobody any good deleted..." There was compassion in the guardian's voice as he spoke, trying to convince Matrix that this was the right path.

"No." The burly sprite forced himself to roll onto his side - to sit upright. "I have to help." Fueled on nothing but determination and the quick fix Glitch had offered, he worked himself to his feet. "I'm not going to run, Bob."

Bob simply shook his head. He couldn't let Matrix go off to his deletion, but how could he stop him? This sprite had a fire burning inside him that just could not be extinguished.

"Matrix, you can't-"

"I ran once already, and look at what happened..." He was, of course, referencing to Dot.

"Alright..." Bob sighed. "But you're not fighting like this. You at least need bandaging and an energy transfusion. "We'll portal to my apartment - I can patch you up there."

----------

Matrix sat shirtless, with his icon carelessly placed on the bandages wrapped around his torso. He slipped his arm out of a cuff and watched as Bob put the machine used for transfusions away.

"It's one of those things that the Collective gives you when you graduate, and you think to yourself 'When am I ever going to use this?' Then a situation like this comes up, and it seems so useful." The blue sprite commented in response to a remark Matrix had made. "How do you feel?"

"A lot better, thanks. Now, let's move."

"Take it easy, Matrix. We need a plan first."

Matrix gawked at him in disbelief.

"Bob, you never have a plan. We'll be fine."

"We weren't fine this time, Matrix!" He snapped, regretting it immediately after. "I'm sorry...this is just..."

"Terrible, I know, but we have to ignore that for now and clean things up. Come on." The renegade moved towards the door. "They won't be expecting us to come in through the front entrance, so let's do just that."

Slowly nodding, Bob followed Matrix' lead, and they were soon on their way to meet the one foe neither of them wanted to face again.

----------

"My dearest Dot, you know those lovely schemes you always used to defeat me?" Megabyte began, turning to stand too close for comfort.

"Yes?" Her response was uneasy; the shadow he cast over her felt almost as menacing as his harsh stare.

"Well, I need you to cook one up in case the guardian and your darling brother do something unexpected. Cover all possible bases, and have it prepared within the micro."

"Gladly, Lord Megabyte." She replied, going to her office to work.

----------

Dot was busy with the task at hand, when something on the desk caught her eye. It was a picture that...Phong had taken after the system crash. Phong...where was he? She smiled slightly, and then stopped everything she was doing. Something was wrong here. She knew who Phong was, and these people in the picture, she knew them too. She didn't know why, but she cared about them and didn't want to hurt them. But then again, Megabyte had said that they were renegade forces to be dealt with. Renegade...her thoughts were so jumbled. Renegade, Matrix...who was Matrix? Enzo, Enzo Matrix...her brother! She picked the frame up and looked at the photo closely. AndrAIa, Ray, Mouse, Hack, Slash, Hexadecimal....Bob. Memories that were fighting suppression flashed in her head. Daemon, Gigabyte, Megabyte. Megayte and all of the wretched things he's done. Her head was throbbing...then it registered - she was infected! She, Dot Matrix, of the city of Mainframe had inadvertently allied with a virus to destroy those whom she loved.

Megabyte is so strong; why is his infection so weak? She asked the question to herself over and over, but knew that she had to formulate a plan, and quickly. She had wasted so much time trying to get her thoughts clear that she had less than half a micro left to produce a series of defense tactics that would fool Megabyte into thinking he'd won.

----------

"Very good work, Dot." Megabyte commented as he looked through her work. "You've spread out all defenses, even up into the dome of the Principal Office. I never would have imagined that they would try and enter through the top of the building. I'm quite impressed."

"Thank you, Lord Megabyte." She replied solemnly, trying to keep herself from giving in to the infection that seemed to be growing stronger by the nano.

"Are you feeling unwell?" He asked, peering down at her.

"No, no...just a headache, my lord."

"I see..." His words seemed slow and precise, and the feared he would see through her act. "This will be all for now Dot. If I need you, I'll call on you again."

----------

"Bob, look out!" It was a sharp whisper and a strong arm that kept the guardian out of the sight of viral eyes as he and Matrix crept closer and closer to the Principal Office. This was not going to be easy. The pair managed to get to the staircase of the main entrance, but were spotted as soon as they set foot on the steps.

"Cursors...so much for an easy entry." Matrix grumbled, about to order Gun to run a multiple target lock. "Command Line -"

The words had scarcely passed the renegade's lips when portals opened all over the system and innumerable guardians stepped through. Turbo himself stepped into the system right in front of the pair of men that served as Mainframe's last defense.

"You two go on...we'll keep the viral forces under control out here. If you need help, just call." The Prime said, ignoring the growing group of virals approaching.

"But Turbo," Bob began. "You said-"

"I know what I said and I was wrong. When the tables turn against your favour, you've gotta' turn them back around. That's what I'm here to do. If this gets out of control, the entire Net could be in trouble. Now go!"

Bob and Matrix nodded and ran up the stairs and into the main hall of the Principal Office. It was time to take care of things once and for all.

----------

Dot strode into the prison of the Principal Office and found familiar sprites - all held captive.

"Mm...Mouse?" She sputtered the name out, uncertain as to whether or not she was actually right.

"Yeah Sugar, it's me." The hacker spoke in a resigned tone, merely watching as the continued around the room.

"AndrAIa?"

"Yes, it's me." AndrAIa sounded completely miserable.

Dot turned to the last cell with a prisoner.

"Oh, Enzo...." There was not doubt in her mind that she was right about this one; this was Enzo Matrix, the copy of her brother.

"Dot! It's you!" Despite his lacerations and bruises he was so excited to see her. "Dot, get us out of here!"

"Oh Enzo," She said softly. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'll be fine! Just get us out!"

Dot nodded and moved to a small control panel in the room where she began poking at the keys. Biting her lower lip as she punched in the last digit in the sequence, she watched Mouse's cell bars lift. Following a similar procedure, she opened Enzo's cell, but when she came to AndrAIa's, she was hesitant.

"If I get this wrong, then the alarm will sound and we're all in trouble." She put a hand to her throbbing head.

"You okay, Sugar?" Mouse asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh yes, it's just the infection...it feels stronger than before." Dot rubbed her temples and turned her attention to the control panel. "Fighting it is going to get harder. Now, let's see what we've got here..." A few keys were tapped and the energy wall deactivated. "Come on, we have to get out of here."

She took the lead and opened doors and passages with complete ease.

"How're you doing that?" The hacker enquired, shocked that Dot could access things that she just couldn't crack.

"I just do - it's probably one of the little pearls of wisdom the infection had for me." She half-grinned as they approached the main hall. "I bet Megabyte isn't expecting this."

"On the contrary." An all too familiar voice echoed as it came to greet them. "I knew immediately when you showed me your 'plan' that my infection had not been as powerful as I had hoped. It was far too flawed for one such as yourself."

The three women and their boy companion stopped dead in their tracks. They were so close to getting out...so close...

"Hey Megabyte, eat this!" Matrix hollered as he fired a shot at the back-turned virus.

The bullet tore through the shoulder of the towering menace and he stumbled forward a step before turning on his heel and facing his attacker.

"You!" Megabyte shouted with conviction as he charged toward Matrix. "I have had enough of you, boy!"

"Well I'm just getting started." He snarled back, holstering Gun at his side and jumping just as Megabyte was within an arm's reach. His leap sent him bounding on the virus' shoulders and then behind him. Bob was ready to smash his enemy with an energy beam when he tumbled forward, but Megabyte's quick recovery brought the guardian clamouring to the floor and under the weight of his heavy foot. He wanted to crush this pesky little sprite, but he could hear the thumps of Matrix' feet as he made a second approach. Well, if nothing else, he had hurt the guardian temporarily. The others would be fleeing or fighting soon as well, no doubt. Where were his minions? No matter now.

He spun around with his claw-like hand extended and lashed the renegade across the chest. It had not been as severe a wound as he had hoped to inflict, but it would suffice. Mouse haddrawn that sad little sword of hers too. As she closed in on this predator before her, AndrAIa, Dot, and Enzo began their run for the exit. Well, none of them need think they would get away without a hassle. Taking a swipe at Mouse proved to be a terrible mistake, as he ended up with a gash across his chest.

"You little rat," Megabyte growled, taking a second swipe and sending her sword flying.

With a nervous expression on her face, the hacker looked beyond the virus, who was fool enough to glance in the direction of her gaze. Without a thought, she leapt on him and began bashing his chest. He was set to plunge his claws into her when she did the nearly unthinkable and punched her fist into his wound. As an agonized bellow escaped Megabyte, Mouse moved to run with the others but was caught by the ankle.

The giant predator released a roar and, as he got to his feet, he flicked her up over his head and threw her at the three sprites who were only footsteps away from the door. The entire group was knocked to the ground by his keen aim.

It was all child's play now. Just go over, and kill them one by one while the 'brave heroes' had to watch with nothing to do but wait for their turn. Ah, the youngest Matrix boy - this would be sweet.

Towering over his soon-to-be victim, he smiled something that exuded malevolence. Bending over just slightly to reach for the boy, when AndrAIa sat up in the group with her trident extended.

"Delete my friends? I don't think so!" In one fluid motion she plunged the weapon up into his abdomen and watched as he collapsed, every limb twitching.

"Well fought, my dear." He managed to say, expelling a final breath as the colour in his eyes faded like lights burning out.

Shakily, she dropped the trident and ran to Matrix.

"It's going to be okay, Lover. Just don't give up..."

----------

"How're you doing?" Turbo asked as Matrix' eyes flickered open.

"Not too...where's Bob? And Dot, and-"

"Cool it, Matrix. Everyone's okay. You got the worst of it. Bob's out in the other room - other than a minor break and a few scratches, he's alright as well." The Prime Guardian heaved a sigh. "Dot's still got slight fragments of the infection in her, but she's fighting with everything she's got. Mouse got a mild concussion; AndrAIa is bruised and sore, but nothing else came out of it. We found Phong as well; he'd been locked away in one of your isolation chambers. Everything is looking better."

"What about Enzo? What happened to him? Where is he?" Despite the pain he felt shooting through his bitmap, he forced himself to sit up.

"You know, you're putting a huge strain on your bitmap by sitting up. Those wounds are healing, but if you tear them open, you'll be in a lot of misery."

"Stop stalling, Turbo. What has happened to Enzo?"

"He's...hanging in there - Megabyte's soldiers did a real job on him though." Turbo replied quietly.

"I want to go see him. Now."


	4. v0503

v.05.03 - The Puzzle

"It's good to be home." AndrAIa said contentedly while sipping an energy shake.

"I'm just glad that nothing was destroyed." Dot replied, looking around the diner.

"I guess Tin Man just didn't have enough time." Bob commented as he wrapped an arm around the 

"Yeah," Matrix began. "It's been a rough few cycles, but everything seems back to normal - I just hope that scar on Enzo's eye fades." The burly sprite shuddered. "It's like reliving Zaytan's attack over again each time I see him."

The rest of the group took immediate attention; it was strange for Matrix to show even the slightest sign of vulnerability.

"I'm sure it will fade, Lover." AndrAIa sighed. "His wound wasn't nearly as severe as yours; his eye even survived the assault. When he comes home, it'll look like nothing even happened."

The four dulled their chat and were enjoying their drinks when a vidwin sprang up in front of Bob.

"Do you have a nano?" Turbo asked. "We need to talk, in private if possible."

----------

"What is it?" Guardian 452 asked from outside Dot's Diner.

"Well, I've got Ray Tracer here with me, and he's found something that you might want to take a look at." Turbo stepped out of view and let Ray take over.

"Looks like a piece of Hex' mask, Mate. I found it out when I was out checking on systems." He held it up for Bob to see.

"Can you bring it here?" Bob asked urgently.

"Bob, you know our policies on viruses..." Turbo replied, appearing back on-screen. "I just thought you might have a theory as to why parts of her mask are turning up everywhere."

"It's 'virii', and she was a sprite at one point." The blue sprite ran a hand over the back of his head. "I really don't know - I figured she'd be so completely fragmented that..." He trailed off.

"That's what we thought too." The Prime Guardian commented.

"Turbo, please let me take a good look at that shard of the mask; I just want to look - it's not like there's anything I can do to bring Hex back."

The Prime Guardian began to shake his head, but reluctantly replied with: "All right." Under his breath he mumbled: "I break more rules for you than is fit...."

----------

Bob had set himself up in the Principal Office, in the same room where he had tried to figure out how to separate from Glitch. He was trying to be patient while waiting for Ray, but it wasn't exactly easy.

"Where in the net is he?"

"Right here, Mate." The surfr said as he stepped into the room.

"Let's see it." Bob was positively itching to get his hands on the fragment of Hex's mask.

"Here you go." Ray handed it over without a thought. "What do you think it means?"

"No idea..." The guardian responded. "But I'd like you to go searching for more shards, if you don't mind."

"You heard Turbo, Bob. He doesn't want you to-"

"I know what he said, Ray, but I have to so this. I've been through a lot of stuff - I'm not going to let Turbo dictate my every decision."

Tracer looked at him like he had three heads. "You alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, this ain't like you at all..." Mouse commented, entering the room.

"Mouse!" The two men exclaimed in unison.

"Now what's going on here?" She walked over and took a look at the piece of Hexadecimal's mask. "Before you two jumped out of your skins, I didn't think much about it, but now I'm curious."

"Oh, nothing's going on Mouse; you just startled us." Bob stated coolly. "I was just asking Ray if he'd help me out with the mask."

She knew there was something more to it, but decided to leave it alone. "Okay, Sugar, it's just strange for you to ignore Turbo's orders."

She was on her way out the door when Bob said: "Just don't mention this to Dot, okay?" Bingo, Mouse had her answer.

----------

"Ray, Honey, get back as soon as you can...I've been missing you." The hacker gave him a strong hug, and a gentle kiss.

"I will, Love, I promise." He cupped her cheek in his hand and kissed her back, before hopping on his baud and making a portal to exit the system. "I love you!" He shouted, and in a nano, he was gone.

----------

"I just wish he'd stay put for a little while..." Mouse sighed while sitting beside Matrix at the bar in Al's.

"Two more I/O shots please." The renegade ordered. "Well, Mouse, that's all you can do - you told him you were okay with it."

"But I'm not okay with it." She downed a shot. "I want him here with me."

"Yeah, I know." Matrix took his shot and asked for a couple more.

"Should I tell him?" The hacker asked, turning to Matrix.

"Probably - he's not going to know otherwise." He took a good look at Mouse. Those shots had definitely taken their toll. He doubted she could even stand.

"Come on, let's get you home." He said, about to sling her over his shoulder.

"Hang on!" She grabbed the last shot and finished it. "Alright, let's go!"

Matrix was walking down the dark street with Mouse dangling over his shoulder when he thought he heard a shout behind him. Turning, he found AndrAIa on their tail.

"Matrix! What exactly do you think you're doing?"

Mouse let out a groan.

"Sugar, I'm getting a real head rush here...wanna' put me down for a nano?"

"I'm just taking her home AndrAIa -" he said evenly. "She had a few too many."

"Taking her home, Matrix? To whose home?" The gamesprite snapped.

"AndrAIa! You know what I mean!" He was on the edge of shouting. "Look at her! She's completely out of it!"

Mouse's skull was throbbing.

"Please, Matrix, set me down before my head explodes..."

"Well, Matrix, maybe if I could see her face instead of her ASCII, we wouldn't have a problem!" AndrAIa yelled.

The renegade carefully put the purple sprite in the sitting position on the ground.

"AndrAIa, why are you getting so bent out of shape over this?" He asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Because you forgot, Matrix." She stated pointedly, shrugging off his hand. "I told you earlier to be home because I was making dinner, and instead of coming home, I find you out drinking with Mouse. What? Would you rather spend your time at the bar with her than at home with me? Is my company really that bad?"

"Dinner...I totally forgot. AndrAIa, I'm so sorry." He went to take her hand but she pulled away. "Look, she was upset..." He said quietly, trying to keep Mouse from hearing. "She was really down about Ray leaving, and I didn't want her to go out alone. You and I both know that there's still a resistance group out looking to get anyone that's not on their side." Matrix knew that AndrAIa thought he was right; he could see it in her eyes. "I'm sorry I missed dinner, but I want to make it up to you. Next cycle, I'll make you dinner, and I'll do the dishes too. I promise."

The aqua-haired sprite shrugged. "I guess." She muttered, truly was disappointed.

Matrix gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"I have to bring Mouse home. I'll be home to you as soon as she's settled in." He moved to pick up the hacker in the same manner as before, but she stopped him.

"Don't carry me that way again- it did a real number on me." She tapped her temples.

Nodding, he lifted her up into his arms, and gave a quick glance to AndrAIa. "I'll be home soon."

----------

"Still, it's been like, five cycles now..." Bob commented to Glitch while sitting in Floating Point Park. It wasn't very often that he carried on conversations with his keytool, but he was anticipating Ray's return, which seemed well overdue. He wanted those other pieces of the mask.

----------

"Has Bob been acting weird lately?" Dot asked while in her office. She had Phong on vidwin.

"He has seemed somewhat...disconnected as of late, my child." Phong steepled his fingers.

"I was hoping I was just imagining things..." The replied. "When he gets like this, I get worried. It always means something bad is going to happen."

----------

"So you'll be in soon?" Mouse asked through a vidwin. She was chatting with Ray who seemed to be in a rather run-down system. A few cycles had passed, and she had managed to keep calm during that time, but talking to him now was tearing her apart inside.

"At the dawn of the next cycle, Love." He could see her eyes beginning to well up with tears. "Are you doing okay?"

"Yes...no..." A tear rolled down her cheek. "I miss you so much."

"Oh, it's - it's alright, Mouse...I'll be home in a matter of micros..." He was at a loss for words.

"I know, Sugar..." She replied, stifling the sobs. "It's just...you're just gonna' get settled back home here again, and then you'll pick up and leave for some system like you always do. I don't think I can do that anymore, Ray; I really don't."

"Oh, Mouse, I had no idea..." The surfr was in complete shock - this was like a stick in the eye. "I'll stay put next time I come back. From now on, it'll only be once in a green game cube that I go out of the system, and then, I'll probably want you to come with me." There was a loud rumbling noise in the background that took Tracer's attention for a nano, and he quickly looked back to the vidwindow. "Look Love, I've gotta' go. I'll see you at the first light of the next cycle."

With that, the window was closed and the conversation was ended. Alone again, she heaved a sigh. She shouldn't go out again; she'd gone with Matrix only four cycles ago, and that had caused a fight between him and AndrAIa. Maybe she should just work - that always seemed to do Dot some good.

Grabbing her zip board and her organizer - she couldn't believe Dot had finally convinced her to get one - she headed for Floating Point Park.

----------

"Oh, hi Mouse." Bob said, seeing her approach.

"Oh...hi Sugar. How're ya?" She asked.

"Not too bad. What about you?"

Taking a seat beside him on the bench, she plastered a fake smile on her face. "I'm doing great." She lied ."I was just going to do a little work, but to be honest, I don't really want to."

"Yeah, I know what that's like." He paused for a moment. "Say, have you heard from Ray?"

"I have, actually...just before I came out." The hacker took a good look at him. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason." His cheeks rouged ever so slightly. "I was just curious."

Mouse gave him a flat gaze and laughed. "Oh come on, Honey," She began. "You never could lie. Now what's going on?"

"Nothing." He wouldn't look straight at her.

"You know, if you don't tell me, I'll just find out on my own." She commented in a rather matter-of- fact tone.

"Well, I guess I can tell you-" He started slowly, but threw urgency into the next few words. "But you have to promise not to tell Dot."

"Alright, I suppose I can do that." She responded.

"Okay. Now, pieces of Hexadecimal's mask are turning up all over the net..." He waited to see her reaction, but there was no change in her expression. "And I asked Ray to go out and collect them, if he could." He paused again.

"And...?" She flicked one of her hands in a circle, indicating that she wanted him to go on.

"I, um, I want to put the mask back together; I want to see if I can bring Hex back."

"What?" The hacker exclaimed, jumping up from the bench. "You want to bring her back? Are you random?"

Bob stood up and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Stop shouting, Mouse." He let out a light sigh. "I feel like I should at least try. After all, she sacrificed herself to save us. If I could just save her..."

"There's more goin' on here than you're admitting to." She drawled on her words. "You should tell Dot what's going on."

"You wouldn't tell her, would you?" The guardian's voice became quiet.

"No, I've already told you that I won't tell on you, but you have to let Dot know what you're doing here. If you don't, this could break you two apart."

Silence fell between them, and Bob began to shake his head. "I know, Mouse, I know..."

----------

Light came over the system of Mainframe, and a portal revealed a sprite on a baud approaching the Principal Office. He carried with him a small pack on his back, and as he hopped off the baud and entered the building, he was caught by a purple woman.

"Hey Sugar, I've been waiting." She grabbed him an pulled him into a long kiss.

When the embrace ended, he stepped back from her, grinning. "Well hello, Mouse, my love." He leaned in and kissed her back, drawing away in perfect timing with Bob's entrance.

"Hey Ray, how was the trip?" Guardian 452 asked, taking the pack the surfr handed off.

"Not bad; smooth surfing all the way."

"Good to hear. Now, do you need to rest, or can we get to work?" The blue sprite lifted the bag slightly.

"Well, I'm pretty tired, Mate." A yawn escaped him. "I had a real trial gettin' some of those. Had shady characters on my tail a lot in the last two or three systems I was in."

"I'll give you a hand, Bob." Mouse offered.

"What?" Tracer blurted, unable to control himself.

"Don't worry Ray, she knows."

He whistled and over-dramatically ran a hand across his forehead. "You've gotta' start telling me these things."


	5. v0504

v.05.04 - Surprise

"There...we did it!" Mouse was almost jubilant over the reconstruction of the mask. "I never thought we'd get it done."

"Yeah..." Bob chuckled a little. "It only took us three and a half micros."

"Are you serious?" The hacker was astounded.

"Yep." He looked at the mask on the table, and then to Mouse. "You know, you should go see Ray. He did just get in, after all."

She nodded. "You're right; you don't mind?"

"No, not at all Mouse." He waved a hand dismissively. "Besides, there's not much you can do to help now."

"Alright, as long as you're sure."

"Yes, yes...now go." He gently pushed her towards the door. "If I need you, I'll let you know." As the entrance sealed itself, he scratched the back of his neck. "Now, let's see what I can do here...Glitch, Mend!"

Watching as a gentle golden glow covered the mask and the cracks faded, he began to question himself. Was he really doing to right thing by trying to restore Hex, or would he just be causing more problems for everyone? He knew how much Matrix despised her, and had come to learn just what Dot thought of her as well. AndrAIa had seemed impartial, as had Ray, and Mouse held her skepticism. He shook his head and issued another command - restore.

Holding his breath, he witnessed the rematerialization of Hexadecimal's bitmap, but didn't see any light returning to her eyes. He ran a scan on her, and everything came up negative. There was no more life in her than there was in his zip board. Needless to say, he was disappointed, but maybe it was for the better. He didn't really know.

He was just about to turn and leave when he heard a dry, drowsy voice.

"Guardian?"

"Hex!" The glow was returning to her eyes and she slowly seemed to be approaching lucidity. "How do you feel?"

"Bob..." She was still putting things together. "You did this?"

"Yes, I did." He almost didn't believe it himself. She even appeared to defragged, and somewhat like the sprite he had known. The only thing that disappointed him was that her face was the mask it had been previously - different expressions could only be shown with different masks.

She sat up tardily and looked directly into his eyes. Her words were at first soft and gentle. "I don't know whether I should kiss you..." Then her words turned to a maddened shriek and her mask to unnerving evil. "Or kill you!"

As the virus leapt at him, a vidwindow with Dot's face shot up, instantly shattered by her fist. Glitch produced a containment field and Guardian tried to work damage control.

"Hex, take it easy. I only want to help." His words were formed with precision lest he disrupt the fragile and most likely temporary calm that had descended on her.

"I know, Bob..." Her mask changed to desperately sad. "I'm just so confused. One part of me tells me to destroy you, while the other tells me to love you."

"I understand Hex." He was searching for words. "Uh, H-hex, do you remember the time I defragmented you?"

Her face became pensive. "I do...somewhat..."

"Good. I want to do it again. Will you let me?"

"Never!" She screeched, immediately enraged. "I will destroy you!"

"No Hex, you don't want to-"

"Have you married Dot?" In an instant, she was chipper and cheerful again.

"Actually no, but that's not important right now." He tried to stray her - he was not comfortable talking to her about this...not yet.

"Wonderful!" She released a sincerely happy laugh. "Perhaps you should defragment me then!"

He wasn't going to wait for her to argue or change her mind. Dropping the containment field in an instant, he held the keytool up and started the defragmenting process. It was not like it had been before. Hexadecimal fell very quiet, as if remembering and not wanting to fight what was happening. She was quite visibly in pain, but she held her calm in a fashion that Bob had never before witnessed from her. Finally he lowered Glitch and caught Hex as her knees buckled.

"Oh Bob..." She looked up at him, her face beaming. "Thank you so much."

She stood straight up and wrapped her arms around him, dipping him into a kiss. He didn't fight her, but waited with patience. She had come back from deletion - it was understandable that she was so happy. When released, he prepared to speak, but was cut off by the benign virus. "Bob, I want to be a sprite again, like I was before I went into the core."

Guardian 452 nodded vigorously. "I can't promise you that it will work, but I'm willing to try."

Hexadecimal paused and looked him up and down. "You're shorter than you where when I left..." She squeezed at one of his biceps. "And you're not as muscular either."

Bob laughed uncomfortably. "Well, when I separated from Glitch..."

----------

AndrAIa strode towards Dot's Diner, with Matrix trailing behind.

"Will you at least let me walk with you?" The green sprite pleaded with frustration.

"No, Matrix, I'm still mad at you." She replied in monotone.

"Oh come off it! What do you want from me?" He jogged up to her. "I don't know what else to do!" He looked at her helplessly.

"Matrix, there's nothing you can do - I'm still angry with you, and I can't make it just go away."

"But why?" He threw his arms out to his sides. "This is what I don't understand. Why are you still mad?"

She sighed and looked into his eyes. "What you did really hurt me...I'm still a little miffed, that's all."

He let out a groan while clenching his fists, and shook his hands at her. "Fine, be angry!" He shouted, stomping away.

"Where are you going?" She hollered to him, turning around.

She received no response.

----------

"What is going on in there?" Dot asked herself, staring at a vidwin of static. "I thought I saw Hex, but it's...it's just not possible."

"My child!" Phong wheeled into her office. "There is a virus in the Principal Office!"

"A virus? Are you sure?" She followed him out into the control room and looked at the numerous screens that displayed various warnings and statistics. "Can you get a visual?"

A screen displayed the room Bob was in, but all that it caught was a closing portal. All the statistics and warnings changed. There was no more virus - everything was safe, but where was Bob? Had it been him who made the portal, or even brought the virus into the P.O.? No, don't be so foolish. He wouldn't bring a virus here intentionally.

"Dot, there is an anomaly in Lost Angles!" The followed Phong's eyes to the stats.

Before she could even ask for it, a visual was on-screen. "How is this possible?" She asked under her breath, tears welling in her eyes. "Phong, I'm going out there...I have to know what's happening."

----------

"I think that does it..." Hex said, panting. "I haven't got any power left to drain out of me..."

"Good, good..." The gears were turning over in Bob's head as he spoke. "Now, the nulls came to you last time, but I don't know if they will now. Maybe you should try to call them to you."

"Are you random? Bob, there's just no power for me to work with." She gave him an apologetic expression.

"Please, just try." The guardian kept his tone level, but was anxious to see the outcome of this experiment.

"Alright...I suppose the weaker I am, the better my chances are..." She closed her eyes in concentration, trying to call the nulls to her. Her eyebrows knit, and hands tensed like claws, she put all her effort into summoning them to her, but found that nothing was happening. "Bob, I don't think it's-" Before she could finish the thought, swarms of nulls appeared from all directions and latched onto her. Letting out a piercing cry, she succumbed to the situation, hoping that she would come out of it a sprite...if she came out at all.

----------

Mouse and Ray linked hands as they walked along the ports of the data sea. It was like being in a whole other net...one all to themselves. She missed this closeness with him. He was always gone so often that she rarely got time to enjoy just being around him.

"Mouse, there's something I've been meaning to ask you..." Tracer stopped walking and took hold of both her hands. "For a long time, I never felt like there was anywhere that I belonged, but when I met you, all of that changed. I realized that it wasn't where I was that mattered, but who I was with, and I'm happiest when I'm with you." He knelt down on one knee in front of her, and looked up into her gleaming eyes - she was on the verge of tears. "Mouse, will you-" A noise above them stopped him.

"Oh no..." The hacker looked up at the sky. "We're online!"

----------

"We're online!" Specky anxiously shouted to Phong.

"Ooh dear..." The old sprite replied, tapping away at the control pad in an attempt to offline the system. "Oh dear!"

On-screen a huge insect came through the opening in the system and landed near the data sea, cracking docks and cement in the blink of an eye.

"There's a bug in the system!" Another binome in the room yelled.

A vidwindow leapt up in front of Phong.

"Don't worry 'bout the bug, Mate - Mouse and I have got it under control."

"I trust your abilities, my son." Phong had scarcely said the words when he saw the purple sprite scooped up in the background and struggling to free herself.

"Oh, bits! Gotta' go!" The vidwin was gone and Ray was off to a fight.

----------

"Matrix!" AndrAIa had finally caught up with him near Ghetty Prime. "Will you at least stop and talk to me?"

"What can there possibly be to talk about?" The renegade enquired bitterly. "I've tried to make up for it! I forget one thing and it sticks in your memory forever!"

"Matrix...please just-"

-Warning, incoming Game, Warning, incoming Game-

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" The burly green sprite snorted as the game cube landed.

----------

"Bob! What's going on?" Dot shouted from her zip board as she made a landing.

"Dot!" He didn't know what to do. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see what was going on...the readings on Lost Angles were-"

Bob cut her off. "Don't worry about this - I've got it under control. Just - just..."

"Bob, why is Hexadecimal-"

The nulls rose up like a huge tower, and then mushroomed down and away from the one whom they had attacked. She looked down at her white and gold hands and displayed a radiant smile.

"You did it!" She squealed, running over to Bob and leaping into his arms. "Thank you!"

"You did this?" Dot gasped. "Why?" Her lower lip began to tremble, and she covered her mouth, turning away from the pair.

"Dot, wait..." Hex sounded so sincere and gentle, but it made the turn on her heel and slap the former virus across the face. The white sprite touched a hand to her cheek, watching as Dot zipped away.

"I have to go talk to her." Guardian 452 said, squeezing one of Hexadecimal's hands. "Go to Kits - I'll meet you there."

----------

"Mouse!" The bug dropped her to the ground from a height several storeys. He was going to run to her, but she ordered him elsewhere.

"Get over there and delete that thing!" She commanded.

He got on his baud and flew right up into the face of the hideous creature, flying so close to it that he almost hit it. Then, crouching down and grabbing his baud, he flicked himself backwards and up behind the creature, landing on the back of its neck.

"Ray!" She threw one of her swords up to him and he drove it down through the back of the neck, moving away as swiftly as possible as the form exploded into a mass of tiny particles.

----------

"Have you ever been in this game before?" Matrix asked his game sprite lover, looking around an unfamiliar terrain.

"No...you?" She responded, also taking in the landscape.

"Afraid not. Well, time to find out the objective." Noting a small man wearing a blue tunic in the distance, he looked back to AndrAIa. "I think he's our target."

"Looks small for a User..." She commented. "What is he after?" Her eyes caught on a castle on the horizon. At the top of the dark structure was a golden triangle. That was the direction the User was going in, so she assumed it was the triangle he wanted.

"Matrix, look there!" She pointed his gaze in the right direction.

He simply nodded and ReBooted, waiting a nano for her to do the same. His skin became a dark, almost olive green. Most of his hair was absent, and what remained was turned from green to orange. He wore black armor with a grand red cape, as well as a crown that rested flat, setting a red jewel dead centre on his forehead.

AndrAIa was given a white two-piece suit - the outfit of a harem girl. The entire ensemble was white. At either side of her hips were sheathed scimitars. Her hair was swept up into a high pony-tail and her eyelids covered in heavy aqua eye shadow.

Matrix quickly became aware of his abilities, and discovered that he could fly. "Come on!" He called, grabbing her by the wrist as he rose into the air. They would get to the top of the tower first and they would win. He knew it.

Arriving at the top of the tower, they found their opponent already there and approaching the golden triangle.

"Drop me here!" AndrAIa instructed, landing directly in front of the User.

Drawing her scimitars, she began fighting, strugging with the small man she had thought would be easy to beat. He managed to get three hits in on her with his sword, and she fell to the ground, out of the game and unconscious.

It was all up to Matrix now. He had wanted to cheat, but something had held him back. He cursed on himself - he could have had that triangle while she fought. Well, the User was going to pay now.

He spun a small ball of black magic and launched it at the auburn-haired User in the blue tunic, who instantly launched it back with his sword. Matrix blocked with is cape and returned the ball. This continued for several nanos, and then Matrix' reflexes failed him; he didn't pull the cape around in time.

The hit sent pain shooting through his bitmap, and he lurched forward in the air. Before he had a chance to look up, an arrow made of light shot him in the chest and was absorbed by his body. As he fell to the ground, the User leapt at him with his sword set to strike, but he saw the motion and kicked the User, sending him flying towards the edge of the tower. Regaining power, he began spinning a much greater ball than before. He saw also that AndrAIa was recovering; even if she couldn't play, that was a good sign. The User got back on his feet, and Matrix fired the magic, watching it split into many smaller balls, three of which made contact, rumbling like thunder. The User completely collapsed and the renegade ran over to finish him. Picking him up by the throat, he began to squeeze tighter and tighter, when he heard AndrAIa scream.

It was then that the User pierced Matrix' abdomen with his sword. AndrAIa ran to him as he let out a cry. That was it - the User had won.

The gamesprite reached to change his icon for him, but he grabbed her hand.

"I can't go through this again, AndrAIa, I can't."

She ignored him and double-clicked his icon with her other hand, but as she did so he pushed her away and she stumbled backward without a chance to change her own icon as the game lifted.

"No!" The renegade bellowed the word at the top of his lungs. He had been willing to face nullification himself, but never wanted his love to suffer it. Now he had to game-hop alone, carrying with him the guilt of nullifying the only woman he'd ever been in love with.


	6. v0505

v.05.05 - Complications

"Dot, I'm sorry!" Bob shouted, following behind her on his zip board.

"And so you should be!" She shouted back, tears streaming down her face. "Why Bob, why did you lie to me?"

"But I didn't lie!" The guardian responded, following her closely. "I didn't even tell you!"

The green sprite stopped short on her zip board and turned around to face him. "A lie by omission is still a lie, Bob." She said very quietly, giving him one last look before leaving.

Bob didn't follow - Hex was waiting for him in Kits.

----------

Mouse was lying on the ground, half laughing, when Ray came down to meet her.

"How're you doing, Love?"

"I'm good, Sugar, I'm good...."

The surfr laid down on the ground beside her and held her hand.

"Marry me, Mouse." He lolled his head to the side just in time to see her reaction.

"Yes!" She repeated it over and over, kissing and hugging him like it was the last time she'd ever have a chance to do so.

-Game Over, The User Wins-

Their attention flew immediately to Ghetty Prime. The entire system had gone still.

"Oh Ray..." She leaned over and buried her face in his chest, trying not to cry; she knew who was in that game. She hadn't even really realized that there was a game in progress in the system until it was over.

----------

Phong, in the Principal Office, let his gaze fall to the floor. He was upset that Matrix and AndrAIa had lost the game, but they had been through game-hopping before. It was Dot that he was worried for.

Specky looked over at the old sprite and said: "There's been a nullification in the G-Prime."

----------

Bob was just touching down in Kits, and Hex approaching him, when the game announcement sounded.

Hexadecimal looked at him with concern. "Bob, who was in that game?" She asked slowly.

"I don't know - we should probably get to the Principal Office and find out what's going on. We can get you a PID while we're at it."

"I don't have a zip-board."

"Not a problem." Bob formed a portal and in an instant they were where they needed to be.

----------

Dot stopped in the air as the system voice rang out. This couldn't be happening...not again. Who had been lost this time? Ray didn't enter the games, Mouse avoided them most of the time as well...that left Matrix and AndrAIa.

"No..." She whispered it fearfully, and her knees became weak. Just get to the Principal Office.

Hexadecimal walked into the command room with Bob at her side, and everyone went quiet. Phong rolled over to the pair and steepled his fingers.

"Bob, Hexadecimal, have you heard the news? Matrix and AndrAIa lost the game - there was one nullification in the sector." Phong took Hexadecimal's presence in stride and just handed over an icon, registering the new sprite in the system. "Bob, would you be willing to go down to the G-Prime-"

"Of course - I'll bring back the null so you can find out who it is..."

----------

Bob was leaving the Principal Office as Dot was arriving, but he was sure to stop and give her a hug.

"I'm sorry, Dot..." He whispered in her ear, holding her close even when she tried to push away. She was only trying to get away because she felt betrayed; in truth, she loved how safe she felt in Bob's arms.

"Dot, I have to go to Ghetty-Prime. I'll be back soon." He kissed her on the forehead and left on his zip-board.

----------

Matrix had gone through three games since he had left Mainframe, but as this one ended, he had a good feeling that he wasn't too far from home. He changed his icon and waited to see where he'd end up, and found himself in the middle of a track-and-field arena. Guardians were slowly approaching from every direction - coming out of the building, through portals, or on zip-boards. Catching a glimpse of Turbo, he assumed he was in the SuperComputer, and probably in the in the Guardian Academy.

Straightening his slouched posture, and becoming stone-faced, he held stock-still as the Prime Guardian approached.

"Cadet Matrix?" The first portion of that had been thrown in at the last moment, but the renegade decided to roll with it.

"Yes Sir, Prime Guardian." The green sprite replied in a strong, clear voice.

"At ease, Cadet." Turbo could see that maintaining his composure was proving to be a difficult thing for Matrix. "Have you been game-hopping again?"

"Turbo, we need to talk, in private."

---------

After informing Prime Guardian Turbo of what had occurred - the game, his basic mistake, AnrdAIa's nullification - he began to break down.

"Turbo, how can I go back to Mainframe?" He asked sorrowfully, his voice shaking as he suppressed tears that he should've shed long ago as a child. "I nullified her...and the way it happened." He shook his head. "If I hadn't been so basic...if I hadn't pushed her away..."

Turbo walked around from his side of the desk and rested a hand on the green sprite's shoulder.

"Matrix, what happened in that game wasn't your fault." He paused and silence consumed them for a moment. "Your family won't turn you away. What happened was an accident."

"Turbo, I want to become a guardian." Matrix had said it in a fashion that made the Prime wonder if he had even been heard.

"Alright Matrix...I'll sign you up as a mature cadet. You'll start in three or four cycles, but I want you to get in contact with your family and friends. Let everyone know that you're okay."

----------

"It has been confirmed." Phong said through a vidwindow while in the laboratory. "The null is AndrAIa."

Dot put her elbows on her desk and her face in her hands. When she had come into the Principal Office she had avoided everyone, even resisted the urge to strangle Hex, and gone straight to her office. She had been looking over every theory she had ever seen on restoring nullified sprites, trying to filter out the junk and find things that would actually be useful, but it was so hard.

"My child, do not fret. Together we will find the solution." The nodded, picking up all of her read-me files and anything else she thought she might need. As she left her office, she bumped into Mouse.

"I heard what happened Sugar, and I'll help in any way that I can. You just say the word and I'll be there."

"Thanks Mouse; I'm sure we'll need you before this is all over."

----------

"Bob, I want you in the next game that comes into this system. Collect the data like we've reviewed and transport the data back here; hand it off to Mouse. She's engineered a device that she thinks can restore AndrAIa, with the help of Glitch. I'll be on the controls, Phong will be monitoring and ready for damage control. Now, since we don't have ideal medical facilities, Ray, you have to be ready to bring her from here to the SuperComputer in under half a microsecond...that's under thirty milliseconds. We've got the null in the device already, so that we can start whenever a game does. I've contacted the top medical facility in the SuperComputer, and they've got sprites standing by. Are we clear?" Dot ran through the instruction like she would any battle tactic, not waiting for responses.

"What about me?" Hexadecimal asked meekly. "Is there nothing that I can do?"

"Just stay out of my way Hex, and you'll have done more than I could hope for." Dot stated, walking away.

Mouse pulled her hair picks out and for the first time in front other sprites she her hair fall down around her shoulders. There was more stress on her than she even knew. She wanted to tell the entire net that she and Ray were engaged, but it just wasn't the right time. Then, this whole thing with AndrAIa...if it didn't work then she'd be to blame...and Matrix was lost in the games for a second time.

"I just don't understand why this is all happening..." She said, almost to herself. "I figured that we'd finally get some peace, now that Daemon and Megabyte are gone."

"I've always warned that chaos would triumph over order." Hex commented bluntly. "To think that I used to embrace the thought though..."

"You sure picked a hum-dinger of a time to show up, didn't you, Hex?" Mouse replied, a hint of a laugh in her voice. "You've never had good timing."

This was the closest thing to acceptance that the white sprite had gotten from anyone other than Bob since she had been restored. She didn't really know what to say. "Well," She began slowly, uncertainly. "I'll have to work on that, once things settle down again."

-Warning, Incoming Game. Warning, Incoming Game.-

"Okay, let's move people!" Dot shouted.

----------

It was two cycles before Matrix even dared to let anyone in Mainframe know he was okay. It had taken him that long to work up the nerve. Sitting in the quarters Turbo had assigned him the day he arrived, he took a deep breath and pulled up a vidwindow to begin a conversation with Dot. It nearly broke his heart when he found her with her head on her desk, crying in her office. She tried to be so tough, so strong, but she was falling apart inside and he knew it.

"Hi Dot." Matrix spoke softly, trying not to startle her too much. She hadn't seemed to notice that a vidwin had even come up.

"Matrix?" She looked up, expecting to see no more than a figment of her imagination, but when she saw that she wasn't just lost in her thoughts, her eyes lit up like two sparks in the dark. "Matrix!"

"Yeah, it's me. I just needed to let you know that I'm okay. How are you doing, Dot?"

For once, she decided to let down her guard and tell her brother the truth. "Not so good, Matrix. Things are pretty random around here..." She paused, contemplating her next words. "Hex is back."

"What? How d-"

The door to Dot's office opened and AndrAIa walked past the vidwindow.

"AndrAIa!" He was sure that he'd yelled loud enough for the entire dormitory to hear, but that didn't matter.

"Hi Lover..." She turned and was all smiles and tears. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"AndrAIa, I thought you'd been nullified..." The renegade was simply in shock.

"I was, but everyone here worked until they knew how to restore me, so, here I am. Please, let's never, never fight again."

"Never AndrAIa, I promise." Matrix heard someone come into his dorm room and glanced over his shoulder. "I have to go - tell everyone I'm okay. I'll be home as soon as possible."

The vidwin was closed, and Matrix turned to face the entrant, finding Turbo yet again.

"Turbo, I have to go home to Mainframe."

"I know, Matrix." None of this shocked him. "But you have things to attend to here first; I can delay your enrollment, but you have to give your speech on game-hopping."

"Reschedule it; I have to go home right now...they've restored AndrAIa."

----------

"So, Bob, tell me, how are things between you and Dot?" Hex, who had been staying at Bob's apartment the past few cycles, surprisingly without attempting to seduce the guardian, asked as they approached Dot's Diner.

Bob turned and looked at her. He shouldn't lie to her, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to tell her. "Um...they've been..." He paused for a nano, and then sighed. "They've been distant, to say the least, Hex. I don't know what to do."

Hexadecimal tilted her head to the side slightly, and placed her hands on her hips. "Will you never learn that she is extremely fickle?"

He sighed again and was about to start walking again, when Hex gently held his arm and pulled him in close to her. She slowly leaned forward to kiss him, and when he didn't flinch, she went for it. To her surprise though, he returned the kiss, rather than shying away.

"Oh, Bob..." The sexy sprite said in a sultry tone as the kiss ended.


	7. v0506

v.05.06 - History

Matrix stepped through the portal provided for him, and breathed the fresh, Mainframe air. He had made sure he'd be less than a stone's throw away from the Principal Office - he knew that's where everyone would be.

Before he even reached the steps of the building, AndrAIa came bolting through the doors, down the stairs, and on top of Matrix. Lying on the ground they embraced each other with the most passionate lip-lock either of them could ever recall, but regaining her modesty, the gamesprite pulled out of the kiss and helped her lover to his feet.

Dot was the next in line. She ran to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, and he enveloped her with his gigantic arms.

"Don't you ever do this to me again." She said almost angrily, crying so hard that she thought she might be meeting her deletion. "I just can't lose you again."

Soon he was crowded by people, both sprites and binomes, welcoming him home, but there was a distinct absence in the group.

"Where's Bob?" He asked, looking through the group.

"Hang on, I'll track him down." Using her wristband communicator, Mouse managed to contact Bob through Glitch.

"Did you miss the news-flash, Honey?" The hacker asked, taunting him. "Get down here - Matrix came home."

"We'll be right there." Bob said it without so much as a second thought. "Come on, Hex; they're looking for us down at the Principal Office - Matrix is back."

----------

"I don't know about this Bob...maybe I should just stay out of the way..." Hexadecimal replied anxiously as the group came into view.

"No, Hex...you should go to see him too. I know the two of you haven't exactly gotten along well before, but if you show him that you're glad to have him back, that may change a little." Guardian 452 coaxed, trying to help her build some confidence. She was a much more mild- mannered sprite than the Hex he remembered, but it seemed to be a change for the better. At least now she tried to think about the consequences of her actions.

He put his hand in the crook of her back and led her out into the crowd of people, where she immediately flashed a smile and ran to Matrix, giving him a warm hug. "It's good to see that you're home safe and sound, Matrix, Darling." She kissed him on the cheek and smiled again.

The renegade seemed flabbergasted, but made himself smile. "Thanks, Hex. It's good to see that you're well." He had to at least go through the normal pleasantries with her. Not because he wanted to, but because he had to. This wasn't something he wanted to ruin with a fit of rage.

"Matrix...Mr. Indestructible..." Bob gave him a hug. "Glad to be home?"

"Bob, you have no idea."

----------

With only a few milliseconds of light left in the cycle, Bob decided to take a walk with Dot.

"We really need to talk." The guardian had said, and despite the comment, the two of them remained silent.

They walked probably half of the system before they actually stopped to speak to one another, and convenience had by then placed them on a bench in Floating Point Park.

"Dot, when I first saw you..." He paused, swallowing the lump in his throat and taking her hands in his. "When I first saw you, I thought that you were the woman that I would marry and have children with. I thought that you were the only sprite I could ever love...I was always happy when I was with you..." Dot smiled modestly, and radiantly, her expression soft and calm. "But time has brought a lot of changes to our relationship. When I came back from the web, we were so distant from one another, and then, when I finally thought we were ready to be married, Megabyte showed up and destroyed those plans too. I tried to be what you wanted, risked deletion for you, and still you pushed me away." The looked so full of shame in that moment; this was harder than Bob had imagined it would be. "Dot, I thought I would always love you, but-"

"No, Bob..." She knew what was coming. "Please don't say it. I don't think I can handle it..."

"Dot, I have to...I..." He swallowed the second lump that had formed in his throat. "I don't love you anymore. I'm sorry."

Dot simply got up and left, the pain in her heart stronger than she could have ever imagined it would be.

----------

"Dot, Sugar, Ray and I have some great news..." Mouse was absolutely gleeful. "We're gettin' married!" The hacker almost squealed when she spoke.

"Oh, that's fantastic, Mouse. When is the wedding?" The wanted to hang the two of them for being so fragging happy, but she knew she didn't have the right to deny them their love, even if she couldn't have hers.

"We haven't got a date yet, but you know you're going to be a bridesmaid."

"That's wonderful, you two." She began to feel teary-eyed. "Look, I've gotta' go see Enzo at the SuperComputer."She lied. "I'll talk to you both later. Congratulations."

----------

"AndrAIa, I'm so sorry for what happened in that game." Matrix had said it to her about a thousand times since he had returned to Mainframe. It was like he had to or she'd disappear again.

"Matrix, you can stop telling me that. I've told you that everything's alright. I love you - nothing can ever change that." She hugged him and gave him a little kiss as they entered the diner, ordering a pair of energy shakes.

They were quite happy to be in the diner, but a portal drew them back outside. Through it, entering on a gold baud, a tall, slender, and busty female sprite with short white hair and golden skin. Her eyes were scarlet red, and she wore nothing but a black form-fitting suit that had holes cut in the most provocative of places. One dipped from her collar-bone to her clavicle, opening wide in the centre to show a great amount of cleavage. There was a cut of the same shape in the back of the outfit that stopped just below the crook of her back. A hole also started at her belly-button and ran on a descending angle to her right hip, wrapping down her leg.

Matrix' eyes nearly fell from his head when he saw her, and AndrAIa hit him in the chest.

"Put your eyes back in your head, buddy, or you'll be losing them." The stranger said, walking up to the pair. "I'm looking for one Ray Tracer. Seen him around?"

"I don't know...depends on who's looking for him." Matrix replied coolly.

"I'm here to settle an old score; that's all you need to know." She spoke very firmly.

"Sorry, that's not good enough." AndrAIa said, stepping in front of her. "So, you're also a surfr..." The gamesprite commented, noticing the woman's icon.

"And the two of you are gamesprites...or game-hoppers." She mimicked, noticing that both of their icons were in the appropriate mode.

"What's your name?" AndrAIa asked.

----------

"If you must know, my name is Ms. Dos. Now, can you help me find Tracer, or am I on my own?"

Before either of them offered a response, she was on her baud and exploring the sectors of Mainframe, trying to decide where her fellow surfur would be. She saw something odd near Floating Point and decided to take a peek. Hovering behind two sprites, one male and one female, she decided it was time to speak.

"Ray? Ray Tracer? Is that you?"

Tracer stopped in his tracks, slowly turning to face the woman. "It's me, alright. What're you doing here?"

"I came to repay a debt, if that's okay with you."

Mouse, standing just behind her fianceé, murmured: "Ray, what's going on here?" But it was an unheard comment.

"You listen to me Dos, I saved your system, and you tried to delete me! The last thing I want is a reward from you."

Ray grabbed Mouse's hand and the two began walking. He was cursing on himself for having left his baud home - with the two of them on foot, she could unfortunately follow with ease.

"I was infected, Ray. I didn't know what I was doing..."

"And because of that, I have to spend the rest of my cycles wearing these cursed goggles!" He shouted, turning again to face her. "You did this to me! You started toying with my code until I couldn't see or hear! The only reason I can now is because my brother came for me and signed me on for an experimental procedure!"

Ms. Dos got off her baud and walked up to him, reaching out to place a hand on his cheek. He didn't pull away, but it took everything he had in him not to delete her on the spot.

Mouse was a step ahead of the game though, and already had a katana drawn. "You touch him and I'll subdivide you." The hacker spoke with malice.

The female surfr dropped her hand to her side. "Ray, I've been trying to find you for so long...please just hear me out."

Heaving a sigh, he motioned for Mouse to lower her weapon. "Fine...what've you got to say?"

"Well, I saw your gamesprite friends, and I noticed the man has a cybernetic eye. I want to give you the opportunity to get something similar done, but you'd gain your hearing back as well. You see, the procedure is relatively new-" She paused. "It has only been done on one other sprite..."

"Who?" Tracer was intrigued, but he wasn't ready to give her his trust just yet.

"Me." She pulled back her hair, and behind either of her ears was a flat, silver disc with a hole in the centre...it seemed to go right into her head. She then closed her eyes and opened them again, revealing two silver balls.

----------

"Ray, this is a great opportunity for you, Sugar." Mouse didn't seem too pleased, but knew a good thing when she saw it. "I'd take her up on it if I were you."

Ms. Dos had willingly gone to the Principal Office to set up a presentation that went over the procedure, giving the surfr and the hacker some time to talk. They had automatically headed for Dot's Diner, and Ray decided to explain his history to Mouse before making any decision.

"I know it's a good idea, Mouse - she wouldn't have taken the chance of losing her eyes and ears if she had thought it wouldn't work. But that tells you what she's like too. She couldn't find anyone willing to volunteer for the surgery, so she had to have it done on herself. When the blind and deaf don't want to see and hear again..." Ray assumed she understood where he was going with his little speech and trailed off.

"So, what happened to give her such a bad rep? And how're you involved?"

"It was a long time ago...I was probably only 1.3 or so. My brother and I had fled my home system during a crash, and my brother trained me on how to be a surfr like himself. The two of us were almost unstoppable - we were right up there with guardians when people talked about us. We caught wind of trouble in a system not all that different from Mainframe, and headed on our way to see if we could help sort things out. You see, after we abandoned our own system, we both tried to compensate for our guilt by fixing other people's problems.

"Anyhow, we arrived there and things were rather peaceful. The resident virus had taken over without a problem, and Ms. Dos, of the system, now also turned surfr, was at the head of military operations. I don't know how she knew we were coming, but she did. My brother managed to escape the ambush despite the fact that I didn't, and I told him not to come back for me.

"In a public display, she unraveled and rewrote my code to show the population that it could be done. She took away my sight and completely removed the ears from my head. Then she left me helpless in the streets. A rebel force had been brewing an attack, but as soon as this was seen, the talks were gone.

"I don't know how long I was there...it could've been micros, it could have been cycles, but my pleas for help were ignored. I was ready to give up and let that just be the end - but then my brother came. I don't know how I knew it was him, but I knew. After that, I offlined.

"When I woke again I was in a hospital bed with him by my side. He asked me if I could see him, if I could hear him, and then he told me he had to go. He said he'd be back soon...I never saw him again." Ray paused. "These goggles have been on my face ever since. They're fused right into my head. Even if I wanted to take them off I couldn't."

"Oh Honey..." Mouse got up and walked over to his side of the booth. "I'm so sorry." She gave him a small kiss and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him and holding him close. "I never could've imagined...."

Ray sighed.

"It's too bad history never stays in the past."

----------

Dot was sitting silently in Phong's office, watching his perpetual motion device swing back and forth, trying not to cry.

"Phong, I just don't know what I'm going to do..."

"My child, change is a positive thing with a negative beginning. There have been many losses that were not for the better, but you and Bob did not have a healthy relationship." Phong stopped for a moment. "It was very scarce to see both of you happy when with one another."

"But I love him, Phong." She clenched her hands in fists. "I need him. I need him like I've never needed anyone before."

"These matters are not mine to control, my child. If you seek a resolution, you must first seek the source of disruption."

Dot nodded vigorously. "Thank you Phong." She left the room with purpose in her footsteps.

----------

AndrAIa took Matrix' hand in hers as the pair strode the streets of Wall Street. He had been acting different lately, but she wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Something bothering you, Lover?" She asked softly, glancing up at him.

"Not really...I've just had a lot to think about lately." His brow furrowed slightly. "That game had a pretty strong effect on me."

"How so?" It was probably a basic question, but she had to ask it. He was opening up and she wasn't going to stop the conversation now.

"I just realized how much I love you, and how much of a dipstick I've been since we returned to Mainframe...since before we got back." He took both of her petite hands in his giant mitts and looked at her. "I think I want to become a guardian...Turbo helped me enroll, and there's still time before the semester starts..."

AndrAIa's face lit up with a broad smile. "Oh, Matrix, that's wonderful!"

"He doesn't expect me to go, you know..." The renegade almost sounded like he was trying to justify his decision, despite the fact that it was a wise one.

The gamesprite ignored the comment. "Just think how happy everyone will be! Even Enzo!"

"Yeah...he wants to join the Academy soon too, you know." Matrix scratched the back of his neck. "He said that as soon as he gets better he wants to be enrolled."

AndrAIa nodded. "When is he due to come home?"

"I'd say within a cycle or two." The green sprite slipped an arm around is lover's waist.

"We have to tell the others that we're moving..." The female sprite commented.

"Moving? Are you serious?"

"Well Sparky, I don't want to be here all by my lonesome while the man I love is off at the SuperComputer, but if we get an apartment together..."

----------

"Yeah Turbo, I'll take care of it...don't worry." Bob said through a vidwin as he sat down on his sofa.

"Oh, I'll be needing that piece of the mask back soon, too." The Prime Guardian commented.

"Um, about that-"

"Bob, who is it?" Hexadecimal walked into view. "Oh, hello. Am I interrupting?"


	8. v0507

v.05.07 - The Council, the Sprite, and the Wardrobe

"Bob...is that who I think it is?" Turbo was starting to turn red in the face.

"Um, Turbo, meet Hexadecimal...as a sprite." Guardian 452 smiled meekly, his cheeks rouging slightly.

"Hi." She leaned over Bob's shoulder, waving and giving the Prime Guardian a warm smile.

"Bob, get her out now." It was evident that the yellow-haired sprite was going to explode at any nano.

"Oh, I'm sorry...I'll...I'll let you two...talk." The white sprite was gone from the room as fast as she'd come in.

There was a split-nano of calm before yelling erupted.

"Bob, do you realize how serious this is?" Turbo shouted. "You could lose your Guardian code for this! Of all the random, basic-"

"I couldn't just let her go, Turbo." Those words brought the Prime's rage to a peak.

"What? What! So I suppose you love her now, do you?" Turbo clenched both of his fists together so they were visible on-screen. "Are you completely random?!" He pointed his index digit toward the vidwin. "You will not be a guardian for much longer, my friend - and there is nothing that I can do about it. I don't make the final decision on things like this, 452. You know yourself that this goes to a vote amongst the members of the Grand Council."

"Yeah, I know Turbo." Bob replied sharply. "In case you've forgotten, I'm a member of the Council!"

The Prime Guardian shook his head.

"Bob, I have to go - I want you at the SuperComputer either this cycle or next." The vidwindow minimized, leaving Bob on the verge of tears.

He had made a miraculous discovery, and now he was going to be punished for it. This just wasn't fair.

Hex returned to the room, also ready to cry. She had done this. If she'd just stayed out of the way....

She sighed and went over to her guardian love, wrapping her arms around him and whispering in his ear how sorry she was. Of course, he denied that this was her fault, but that didn't console either of them much.

----------

"So you see...it's more of an upgrade really." Ms. Dos said, smiling slightly.

Ray was looking over a read-me file, nodding slowly.

Mouse just looked around the nearly empty conference room; only the three of them were in it.

"What's the recovery time?" The hacker asked dully, folding her hands together on the table before them.

"Um, approximately six cycles." Dos replied, checking the files on the table to make sure she was right.

The two women looked to Tracer for a response.

"Well, Ray, what do you think, Sugar?"

"Let's do it." He replied quietly. "Right now. Admit me to the hospital in the SuperComputer and let's get this over with."

"Really?" The two female sprites responded in unison.

"Yeah. Let's do it." He gave them a tiny smirk.

"Alright...just give me a few micros..." The golden surfr replied, leaving the room.

----------

There was a knock on Bob's door, and he reluctantly parted from Hex. Straightening himself out, he went over to answer the door, but just as he put his hand on the knob, the door began to swing open.

"Bob, we need to talk." Dot walked into the room, grabbed him by the wrist and began leading him into any room but the one with the former virus in it.

"Now, hold on." The Guardian stopped walking. "You can't just come barging in here like you own me, Dot."

"Bob, I love you, and I refuse to give you up." She said stiffly, looking into his beautiful brown eyes.

"Well Dot, it really doesn't work that way." Bob cleared his throat. "I don't love you." He hated to say it...to see the look on her face.

"No, Bob..." The green sprite's eyes turned to narrow slits. "You love me - I know it!" She slammed a fist on the table. "What do I have to do to make you see that you're wrong Bob? Because I'll do whatever I have to do!" She shrieked the words.

Hex came running into the room.

"Dot, you have to leave. Now." The white sprite said the words venomously.

"No!" Dot responded, and she sent a swift fist towards Hexadecimal's face.

Dot's opponent was quick to react, however, and caught her fist, twisting the arm so that Dot fell to her knees.

"Leave now, Dot, and don't return. You are not welcome here unless by personal invitation." Hex let her go, and she stayed on the floor with tears streaming down her face.

What had she done? This wasn't who she was. She never acted like this - not towards someone she loved. Bob would never forgive her.

"Bob, I - I'm sorry." Dot murmured as she got up and sped towards the door.

She couldn't even look at him.

----------

"An apartment?" Matrix had been completely stymied by the idea. "Sure, we...we could do that. Now, let's go see Enzo and tell him what's going on."

"Alright. Do you think we should let him live with us?" AndrAIa asked considerately.

"No." The renegade replied quickly. "I love him, but I can't live with him. I'd go completely random."

"But Matrix-"

"Besides, he'll probably want to stay on-campus, and get the full experience...you know, all that stuff."

The gamesprite was going to argue the idea, but had to agree that her lover was probably right about this.

----------

"Hey Enzo, how're you doing?" Matrix asked as he walked in through the door of his hospital room.

"Oh, hi Matrix. I'm feeling a lot better." The young sprite sat up in his bed. "The doctor said that I'm being released a cycle early!"

"That's great!" AndrAIa commented as she strode into the room.

"The first thing I want to do is join the Academy." Enzo said eagerly, but with a new-found maturity.

"Taken care of." The renegade replied. "I knew you wanted in, so I registered you - you and I will be starting at the Academy in a few cycles."

"You're joining too?"

"Yep. I've decided that it's time for me to finish my training." Matrix unconsciously ran a finger over his icon.

"This is so cool!"

----------

Ray was clinging to Mouse's hand as they wheeled him through the hospital.

"I love you, Mouse."

"I love you too, Sugar. Now take it easy; everything's gonna' be fine." When she was forced to leave him behind, she gave him a quick kiss and waved good-bye.

Now, all she could do was wait...wait with Ms. Dos. It was going to be a long cycle.

----------

"How're you doing?" Dos asked, joining Mouse in the waiting room.

"As good as can be expected." The hacker replied, glancing at the female surfr.

"So, how did you and Ray meet, anyway?" Ms. Dos asked casually.

"Oh..." A small smile graced the purple sprite's face. "We meet just before Mainframe had a system crash. Instantly, we knew we loved each other, and from that point on-"

"Mouse?" AndrAIa walked into the waiting room. "I wasn't sure it was you when I walked past. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Ray's in for a surgery, Honey, but don't worry...it's a minor procedure."

This didn't wipe the concern from the gamesprite's face.

"What's she doing here?" She asked, looking at Dos.

"I'm funding the surgery...it's one that I helped develop and had done on myself." Ms. Dos replied confidently.

"AndrAIa?" Matrix was roaming the halls. "Where'd you go?"

The aqua-haired sprite took a last look at Mouse. "Send Ray my greetings."

With that, she was gone to see her love.

"Ready to go home, Sparky?" She asked perkily, sliding an arm around his waist.

"Yep, let's go."

----------

Hex was pacing the floor.

"Bob, I'm coming with you to the Council meeting."

"What? Hex, you can't." The guardian got up and took her hands in his. "You're the whole reason they want me out of the Collective. How do you think they'll react when you come strolling through the door at my side?"

"Are you saying you're ashamed of me, Bob?" Hexadecimal put her hands on her hips.

"No, no, not at all, but-"

"Then it's settled! I'll go with you to the SuperComputer!" The former virus was grinning from ear to ear. "I'm going out - I'll be back soon."

Giving Bob a kiss on the cheek, she went out the door in a matter of nanos.

----------

The light was fading from the sky as Hexadecimal went out into the streets. She needed to go shopping. What would the Grand Council think if she showed up looking like this? She needed a new look anyway...this was the time to get it.

There was just one problem - she didn't have a clue where to start.

----------

"AndrAIa, I need your help."

The gamesprite, who had just gotten through the door with Matrix, was taken back by the sudden and urgent message that came over the vidwin at her.

"Um, Hex-"

"Oh, please! Bob and I have to go see the Grand Council and I need to look really good so-"

AndrAIa burst into laughter.

"Take it easy, Hex. I'll help you. Just drop by and I'll help you out."

The door opened behind the aqua-haired sprite.

"I was on my way as I was talking to you." The white sprite stated as she minimized the vidwin that was in her hand. "Good thing you can carry these like read-me files if you have to."

"Alright. Let's get to work."

----------

"I think this is the one!" AndrAIa exclaimed.

"What about my hair?" Hexadecimal was looking at her reflection and picking at the black curl on her forehead.

"We can do something with it if you want." The gamesprite said, flicking through her wardrobe of downloads.

"Can we make it longer?" The white sprite asked curiously.

"Yep...we can do almost anything you want."

"Oh my, this could take a while." Hex bit her lower lip. "Well, let's start with the downloads...I want something elegant, but something that can be worn on a cycle-to-cycle basis..."

----------

"Phong, I don't know what's wrong with me..." Dot was once again in his office, seeking his council. "I think I've gone completely random..."

"Tell me what happened child." Phong replied, carefully handing her a cup of java.

"Well, I went to the apartment..."

----------

Mouse was roaming the halls of the hospital. Should the surgery be taking this long? How long had it been anyway? She was going to start crying, and she knew it.

"Hey, want some chips?" Ms. Dos came up behind her and held the bag out to the hacker.

"No..." Her voice was shaking.

"Are you okay, Mouse?" The surfr asked, walking around and placing a hand on the purple sprite's shoulder.

"I'm so afraid he won't come out of this, Dos." She covered her mouth to stifle a sob. "I feel so basic...."

"He's going to be fine, I promise." Ms. Dos tried to comfort the woman, but didn't know where to begin - she didn't even know this sprite!

"But what if he's not? Dos, he's the only thing I've got in the net. He's the only sprite that will love me, no matter what happens. If I lose him...."

"You won't lose him."

"I hope you're right."


	9. v0508

v.05.08 - So Be It

"I just don't know what happened to me Phong..." Dot said. "And the way he looked at me when I was sitting there on the floor..."

The old sprite shook his head sorrowfully.

"My child, you must avoid him at all costs. What you are doing now is only self-destructive."

The looked at him in horror. "But Phong-"

"No, Dot. This is how it must be." He wagged a long finger at her. "You will not go to see him again. Promise me this."

"I, I promise, Phong." The green sprite's jaw was shaking. "I guess I should get back to work. Talk to you later."

----------

"Tell him I'll meet him there!" Hexadecimal said in the background as she left the room and AndrAIa pulled up a vidwin. The two of them had been working on Hex' little makeover for so long that light was returning to the sky outside.

"Bob, yeah, I'm sorry to wake you, but Hex wanted me to tell you she'd meet you at the...meeting."

The guardian just groaned an agreement and rolled over in the bed. He really didn't care at the moment. He hadn't wanted her to come to begin with.

AndrAIa minimized the vidwindow and called Hex back into the room.

"Okay, let's get you put together!"

----------

"I want to go straight to the Academy!" Enzo exclaimed through a vidwindow to Dot.

"Are you sure, Enzo? I mean, you could come home for a while and enroll next semester..." The gave him a gentle and hopeful smile.

"Sorry, Dot. Matrix already has me enrolled." The young sprite, though trying to hide it, was beaming with joy.

"Oh, alright then." Dot nodded, masking her disappointment.

"Oh, and Matrix is going into the Academy too!"

"What?" The green female was completely surprised. "I, I didn't know...he didn't tell me."

"It's pretty cool, though, isn't it?" Enzo waited for her response.

"Definately, Enzo. I think it's..." Dot took a nano to choose the right word. "Alphanumeric."

----------

"Can I see him yet?" It had been micros since Ray's surgery had ended, and she was on the edge of her seat waiting to see her love.

"I suppose." The nurse said wearily - this sprite had been asking her all night to see this guy. "Be quick - he's not supposed to have visitors for another cycle or so."

Mouse rushed into the hospital room eagerly, and gently placed her hand on his.

"How do you feel, Honey?"

Tracer had a feeling that Mouse had spoken to him. He'd heard a muffled voice, and was hoping it was hers. With his head bandaged over the eyes and ears, he didn't really know much about what was going on around him.

"Mouse?" He spoke slowly and uncertainly. "Look, Love, I can't really hear you all that well..."

This is why he wasn't supposed to have visitors. Carefully, she bent to kiss him in the hospital bed and then left; she could come again next cycle - maybe then he'd be able to at least hear her.

---------

"AndrAIa, how much longer are you going to be?" Matrix enquired from the other side of the door.

"A little longer Matrix. Why?" She had stopped tidying the pile of downloads and just let Hex take care of herself for a few nanos.

"We have to get moving soon. Don't forget, we have to pick Enzo up and get him settled at the Academy, and we have to get ourselves settled into the apartment." The renegade was leaning against the wall.

"Apartment? Oh shoot! I forgot..." She folded her hands together for a split-nano, and then opened the door. "What are we going to do?"

"We'll move in - I've been working while you were having your little jamboree." A pleasant smirk appeared on Matrix' face.

"You what?" The gamesprite was curious about what her lover had done.

"I was working with a land-lord via vidwin, and I got us a great place, and I got everything packed - minus the stuff in our room." The renegade chuckled. "I think the land-lord's afraid of me though..."

----------

Bob stood in the mirror in his guardian uniform. Did he want to wear this to the meeting? After all, he was on trial, and his very function was pending on this. He could lose his code. Did he really want to go down as the conformist after all of these weeks of being the one with the radical theories...one of which he was currently in trouble for? He did still have the download from when he merged with Glitch...

What about Glitch? Would his keytool counterpart leave him because he wasn't a guardian, or would it still choose him as its partner. Could Glitch even do that? Could any keytool?

He shook his head, and decided on the silver garment. He'd do his hair the same as it had been before too. It was unfortunate that he couldn't make the web scars appear again. It'd not that he wanted them on his face, but he wanted the Grand Council to see just how much he'd been through while trying to serve the Collective. Well, he'd do the best he could - that was all he had to offer now.

----------

"What do you think?" Hexadecimal walked out behind AndrAIa and revealed her new look to Matrix.

"Wow, that's a real transformation, Hex. You look..." The renegade threw a quick glance to his girlfriend, and smiled. "You look wonderful."

"Do you really think so?" The white sprite looked down her body. "I look so different."

"You look great!" The AndrAIa said cheerily.

"Well, pack your stuff and let's go!" Matrix was showing an exuberance that AndrAIa hadn't known still existed in him. "We'll bring Hexadecimal with us, pick up Enzo, drop them both off at the Academy, and get settled in ourselves!"

----------

Bob crossed his fingers and whispered a prayer to the User. It was after lunch. It was time to meet with the Grand Council. He didn't know where he'd begin.

He walked silently out into the centre of the room, and the Council took their seats at a long, curved table, facing him.

"It's nice to see you all again - I wish it was under better circumstances, though." The blue sprite said with a forced smile.

"Guardian 452, you are here before us today so that we may decide whether or not you deserve to keep your guardian code." Turbo said solemnly, standing up. "The Council knows what has happened, but would like to hear it from your mouth...from the very beginning, for even I don't know how you managed to transform a virus into a sprite. Are you ready to begin?"

Bob nodded slowly, and began his speech. He ran through his past experiences with the Collective, and his struggles in the web, and came finally to the virus that was Daemon.

"If it had not been for Hexadecimal, we would not be here right now. You see, she was willing to be deleted to save the net. Now, even you must admit that a virus willing to save any sprite, let alone the entire net, must have some good somewhere within her." Bob nodded, and walked along the front of the curved table. "I don't think that I've ever met a sprite quite like Hex - she's seen both ends of the spectrum, and she chose to be a sprite of her own free will. I didn't force her into it."

He continued to speak for almost a microsecond, when Turbo stood up suddenly and stopped him.

"Bob, we've heard enough to make our decision. Now, if you would plea-"

"Wait!" Hexadecimal glided into the room with a beautiful smile on her face.

"Hex..." Bob couldn't believe his eyes.

She wore a scarlet v-neck dress, with sleeves that hung just past her hands, and a slit in the side of the skirt up to her knee, revealing her shapely, white legs as she walked. She was wearing simple, scarlet shoes - high heels, without decoration. On her ears were shimmering, tear-shaped earrings, and she wore a matching necklace. She had long, black hair that fell in soft curls down her back, tied with a scarlet sash.

"I thought your skin was gold." Bob whispered.

Hexadecimal laughed softly. Of all the things that he could have said at that moment, he chose to ask about her skin.

"No, darling, that was a cat-suit." She replied, broadening her smile as she faced the Grand Council, waiting for Turbo to be seated. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am Hexadecimal, the sprite who was formerly a virus. I know that I am why this Council had convened, and as such feel that I am entitled to speak to those who have gathered. So for a moment, please forget Bob, Guardian 452 of the Collective, and take into consideration what I have to say.

"There was a time, when I cared for no one who would stop me from performing my function. I even despised my own brother. I sought destruction and chaos. That, however, has changed. Before the system crash of Mainframe, Bob defragged me. At the time, it was against my will, but I immediately felt so much better than I ever had as a virus. Although I was not a sprite, I functioned like one and I lived like one.

"Even before that, I knew Bob was a good Guardian - he was someone who would one cycle change the fate of the entire net. I never knew that I would be part of it, but when I was, I hated having to give up my sprite-hood, and return to being a virus. In truth, I feared it.

"Obviously, I was given as chance to become a sprite again, so I took it. I fought my very function to take it. This sprite was the reason I took it." Hex stopped and looked at him reassuringly. "Surely, a guardian that can turn a virus from her function is a guardian that you want in your Collective."

"Your input will be taken into consideration as we debate, Hexadecimal." The Prime Guardian said. "We will reconvene next cycle, one micro after the opening ceremonies for the new semester of the Academy. Until then, you are free to do as you please."

----------

Matrix couldn't believe this. He was finally going to be a guardian. He never thought he would get this far. Now he was delivering a speech at the Academy, on the opening cycle. As his name was spoken, he stepped up to the podium and greeted the audience. This was going to be harder than he thought.

"I am here on this cycle to speak on game-hopping, and my personal experiences..."

----------

They were taking the bandages off as Mouse came into Ray's room. He had two black eyes from the surgery, but he was otherwise fine. When his eyelids flickered open, she covered her mouth.

"Oh my User, Ray, look at you!" She ran over and gave him a hug. "You look amazing Sugar!"

"My vision's a bit blurry." He replied, trying to focus his surroundings.

"Mr. Tracer, your eyes aren't completely adjusted yet." The doctor began. "In a few cycles they will automatically adjust, but before that happens, your bitmap has to heal."

"That doesn't sound right." The hacker said suspiciously, putting her hands on her hips.

"It's unusual, I know, but those were the results from the last surgery." The doctor replied.

"Don't worry about it." Ms. Dos stated, striding into the room. "He'll be fine. Just wait and see." The female surfr handed Ray a mirror. "I know it won't be a clear picture, but take a look."

A smile slowly snuck onto Ray's face.

"Wow, this is great." He said, looking at his reflection. "Dos, thank you very much."

"You're welcome, Ray." She put a hand on his shoulder. "Hopefully this can undo some the damage I did so long ago. Now, you and Mouse have a good life. I'm out of here."

"Already?" Mouse enquired. "We haven't even had a chance to get to know you."

"Not necessary." Dos replied. "I didn't come here to get strung up with friendship. Maybe some cycle we'll meet again, but don't count on it."

----------

"...so I struggled through it, cycle by cycle." Matrix heaved a sigh. "Then, when I came home, I found out that it was on the verge of destruction. The fighting was supposed to end when I got home, but it didn't. After Megabyte was gone, it was Daemon. After Daemon, there was Megabyte again, just waiting to destroy Mainframe. To this cycle, it seems like he was defeated too easily. Then I almost got lost in the games again, and I nullified the sprite I love. I was fortunate - my friends and family were able to restore her, and I landed here in the SuperComputer, but things could have turned out so much worse. I'll always have a reminder or what happens when you try to take on something that you know you can't handle..." He tapped his cheek, just under his false eye. "And because of that, I must stress the fact that you press on with courage, but caution as you take on the task of serving the Collective. Never step beyond your limits, or you're going to fall off the edge of a cliff." He stopped speaking for a nano, and then flashed a smile. "With that, welcome to the Guardian Collective. I'm sure you will all make fantastic guardians."

----------

"And it is, on this cycle, that we have decided that Bob, Guardian 452 of the Collective, will be allowed to continue to serve." Turbo said pleasantly, reaching to shake Bob's hand.

Bob, grabbed a squealing Hex and kissed her, afterwards throwing his arms in the air and letting out a hoot of joy.

"Thank you!" He shook the hands of all members of the Council, and then grabbed Turbo for a hug. "Thank you so much!"

----------

It had been a few cycles, and Dot had finally heard from Matrix, who told her everything that was going on with himself, Enzo, and AndrAIa, as well as with Hex, and Bob. He knew nothing of Mouse and Ray, but assured his sister that they were okay - they always were.

"So they've all left me here alone, without so much as a good-bye." She whispered to herself, dropping the readme on her desk.

"Dot, these just came for you." Phong rolled into her office and handed her a readme and some pictures.

"Hey Sugar!

"Sorry we didn't tell you what was going on, but things were a little random. I know that I told you I wanted to be a bridesmaid at my wedding, but Ray and I decided to elope. He had a surgery by the way - he now has eyes and ears, and doesn't need those goggles anymore.

"Love you lots, Dot!

"We'll probably drop back in a bit!

"Mrs. Mouse Tracer (I just love the sound of it! Don't you?)"

Dot set the read-me down and took a look at the pictures, stopping on one in particular.

Mouse and Ray were in a tropical system, at an altar. They were obviously exchanging vows by the data seashore. Her hair was down long, and she wore a pale yellow, "sun" dress. She also had a straw hat on, with a yellow sash tied around it.

Ray, with his still-bruised, green eyes, and his silver-disc ears, was beaming. He wore a loose, button-up tee in red, and a pair of tan-coloured khakis. They really were happy.

The shook her head.

"What does this leave me, Phong?" She asked forlornly. "There's nothing left here for me."

"That is not true, my dear Dot." He replied, trying to comfort her. "I am here, and you have a system to run. As we restore more sprites from nullification, they will look to you for guidance."

"So this is it." She had drifted away from the net around her. "I have a system to run, and they have the net to explore." Red began to seep into her pupils, and green flecks appeared in her purple irises. "So be it."

**END.**


End file.
